Craig appeals to vacate his guilty plea

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, filed notice with the Minnesota Supreme Court, asking it to toss a ruling that his guilty plea to disorderly conduct stand.

"From the outset, Senator Craig has maintained his innocence," Billy Martin, Craig's attorney, said in a statement Monday to CNN, saying it would be a "manifest injustice" if the Idaho Republican couldn't be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea to the misdemeanor charge stemming from his arrest for soliciting sex in an airport men's bathroom.

Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after his June 11 arrest in the men's room at a Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on charges he solicited an undercover police officer. He filed an appeal to withdraw his guilty plea, which a Minnesota judge turned down Oct. 4.

Saying his client has a constitutional right to appeal the lower court's decision, Martin said he hoped Minnesota's high court would either vacate or reverse the ruling.

Once the appeal, lower court transcript and responses are filed, the court sets a date for oral arguments, which could happen in six to eight months, the Idaho Statesman reported.